Dallas Area Rapid Transit Light Rail

Dallas Area Rapid Transit Light Rail

DART Light Rail is a light rail system in Dallas, Texas and its suburbs owned by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. With the opening of its fourth line in 2012 the system comprises 72 miles (115.9 km) making it the largest light rail system in the United States.It has a daily ridership of 75,000 average trips per weekday.

DART was created on 13 August 1983 as a regional replacement for the Dallas Transit System (DTS). Citizens of 15 area cities had voted to levy a 1% sales tax to join the system by the time it began transit services in 1984 (though formal acquisition of the Dallas Transit System wouldn’t be complete until 1988). After six years of scandals involving finances and delays in construction of the rail system, the year 1990 was a turning point for the agency when DART broke ground on its light rail system in October. The light rail system began service on time and on budget in June 1996.

The shot above shows one the the light rail units at Akard station in downtown Dallas, which was one of the first stations opened on the system on June 14, 1996.